Japan Crate Box

Japan Crate is a subscription box service that sends a monthly sample of Japanese culture. Each box features candies from Japan and free shipping. Since these candies are sent direct from Japan, the price is significantly lower than purchasing from import agents or shops. The company ships boxes on a rotating shipping system that correlate to your order or renewal date.

Pricing and What’s Included

The company offers three subscription packages: Mini, Original, and Premium. They offer four membership plans for each of their box sizes.

Box

Month To Month

3-Month Prepay

6-Month Prepay

12-Month Prepay

Mini

$12

$34

$66

$130

Original

$25

$72

$140

$270

Premium

$30

$87

$170

$330

The Mini Box

Starting at $12.00, the Mini box features five candies or snacks from Japan. The company promises that all the candies in the box are near impossible to find anywhere but Japan.

The Original Box

With a price as low as $25.00 per box, the Original box holds ten candy or snack items plus a guaranteed DIY kit.

The Premium Box

The best value, especially if you purchase a multi-month plan, the Premium box contains 15 items, a drink, and a DIY Kit. Premium boxes also features a surprise revolving bonus item. You can enjoy all these items for only $5 more per month than the Original box.

Other Options

Every subscriber to Japan Crate is entered every month into a drawing to win a Sugoi Crate. This box is a giant prize crate filled with collectibles, games, candies, or other surprise items from Japan. The January crate, for example, contains a board game, a gaming console and game, and three collectible figurines.

Friends and family can surprise a fan of Japanese culture with any of the subscription packages listed above.

In addition to the snacks, candies, and other items, every box also contains an edition of their exclusive serial Manga-zine.

Japan Crate Review

We searched far and wide for reviews of Japan Crate and found mixed reviews.

We did find that they hold a 3-star, or average, rating on Trustpilot.com. The mixed reviews showed that while people enjoyed the contents of the crate, they did not like the very long shipping time. The company warns that it may take up to six weeks to receive your package, which seems reasonable for international shipping.

The company has no accreditation with the Better Business Bureau. The factors that contribute to the lack of accreditation are the length of time the company has been in operation and the number of complaints filed against it.

The company has satisfactorily resolved forty percent of the BBB complaints against it. Most of these complaints relate to the length of shipping time and the lack of immediate response from customer service.

The most complimentary reviewers raved about the selection of themed items in the box, the variety of items, and the fact that each box contains a brochure, or program, explaining the items and some history of them.

Most of the negative reviewers assert that the company failed to tell them that they were subscribing to a monthly subscription plan. We found that the checkout process clearly states that it is an auto-renewing plan that may be canceled at any time.

When Does It Ship?

The company operates a rolling shipment system. Shipments are made based on your renewal date.

Shipping Schedule

Order/Renewal Date

Shipping Date

1st rollout

1st-14th of the month

20th of that month

2nd rollout

15th -23rd of the month

28th of that month

3rd rollout

24th-31st of the month

3rd of next month

The company warns that due to international shipping and customs delays, it may take six weeks for your shipment to arrive.

Customer Service Information

If you have a question or concern that is not addressed in the website’s FAQ, you can fill out a form through the website and they will get back to you.

You can also join their online communities on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The company invites you to contact them through social media.

Be sure to check out the FAQ page, as it contains a very large selection of questions and answers.

How Do I Cancel?

If you decide that Japanese candies and snacks are not for you, you can easily cancel your subscription through your account information page. On the left hand side of the page is a button for editing your subscriptions. Once you click the edit button, scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the Cancel Subscription button.

Be sure to cancel your subscription well before your billing date to avoid incurring additional charges.

Company History

Japan Crate was founded in September 2014 by Hank, who had always been fascinated by Japanese culture. After returning to the US after a visit to Tokyo in early 2014, Hank wanted to continue to enjoy the things that he had come to love while in Japan. He found that it was difficult and disappointing to try to get some of the snacks, candies, and other products through online ordering.

So, he decided to create a monthly subscription box company. Through the items in the boxes, consumers can enjoy the experience of Japan right in their own home. In each box, in addition to candy and snacks, subscribers get a booklet that gives descriptions of the contents of the box as well as some historical or cultural background.

He and his team were, until last year, based in San Francisco, California. In February of last year, Japan Crate moved its headquarters to Tokyo, Japan. This move is only one of the ongoing changes for the company to improve its product and customer satisfaction. They have plans for an improved website, a better online store, and a loyalty program.

The website has an entertaining page dedicated to describing the 19 members of the Japan Crate team. Some of the descriptions include the titles of Butterfly Space Captain and Partnerships Fairy. When you scroll over the images of the team members, you can find other amusing descriptions.

Japan Crate has a YouTube channel with videos of recent crate openings and endorsements. Here is a video featuring Tony Hawk, a fan of Japan Crate.